PHOENIX — Thursday night was important. Big. Huge.

But then the magnitude also shrunk in the shadow of the 46 games that remain.

“Uh, yeah, probably,” San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen said Thursday afternoon when asked if he viewed that night’s game as having added consequence. “I mean, right now, the space that we’re in, we�...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ryan Jeffers joked the Twins seem to have a phobia of a .500 record, but they have no such problem embracing dramatic moments.

When the Twins were within five outs of being swept by the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, experiencing an ugly offensive series at Kauffman Stadium, they rallied in the eighth inning for a comeback...Read more

BOSTON — The Red Sox don’t look flummoxed often these days.

But even Major League Baseball’s coolest customers this summer get overheated sometimes. That looked to be the case on a stiflingly steamy Thursday night at Fenway as inning after inning, the pair of Sox played tug-of-war at America’s oldest ballpark and the home team struggled...Read more

SEATTLE — With versatile infielder Ben Williamson likely headed to the injured list on Friday and expected to be replaced by Carson Williams, the roster status of a few other Rays was clarified Thursday.

Veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel, who was designated for assignment Monday to clear space on the 40-man roster for trade acquisitions, cleared...Read more

CHICAGO — Sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers and watching Pete-Crow Armstrong outduel Shohei Ohtani in their MVP showdown seemed like the perfect way to end an exhilarating homestand for the Chicago Cubs.

But the Cubs instead were forced to return to Wrigley Field on Thursday for a makeup game against the Toronto Blue Jays, and for most of the ...Read more

SEATTLE — It’s getting interesting, for sure. But it’s not for real. Not really. Not yet.

The Tigers have gamely fought their way back into the playoff conversation. They won their sixth straight road series Thursday, beating the Seattle Mariners, 11-0, in the rubber match at T-Mobile Park.

It was their 12th shutout, their fifth win in ...Read more

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs went from not having enough starting pitchers to maybe having too many, a dilemma that can be a problem only if the pitchers don’t buy in.

The way things look in early August, manager Craig Counsell eventually will have to play a game of duck, duck, goose, choosing two or three starters for the best-of-three wild-...Read more

CLEVELAND — The minor league Mets appear to have reinvigorated the major league Mets. Who would have guessed that all they need to win baseball games is a group of ragtag journeymen looking for a chance?

After trading away about half of their bullpen, three starting pitchers and a beloved backup outfielder at the deadline on Monday, the Mets ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — When the Pirates left for Cincinnati to start an eight-game road trip, they did so with hope. Hope for a strong trade deadline. Hope for some injury returns. Hope to improve their position in a playoff hunt.

As they leave Milwaukee, they are losers of six of eight, the finale a 5-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family ...Read more

CHICAGO — The boo birds were active at Wrigley Field this week, as the Dodgers were swept by the Cubs in a three-game series.

The vitriol for the World Series favorites, days after they traded for the best player available at the deadline (two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal) touched almost every player in the Dodgers lineup. But Cubs fans'...Read more

ARLINGTON, Texas — A rule for all people, not just sports journalists, is that if Ron Washington has a minute, you take no less than 10.

One 10-minute chat with Washington can provide 10 years of memories, and stories. Few people in the history of the game are as colorful, charming, genuine, authentic and honest as Wash’.

The former Texas ...Read more

PHOENIX — The Padres on Wednesday night had a chance to get into playoff position, and they had one of the pitchers they acquired to help get them there on the mound.

It did not work out.

Casey Mize’s Padres debut was instead a step backward for his new team.

The Diamondbacks pounded Mize and won 10-4, gaining a game on the Padres instead...Read more

SEATTLE — On a night when the organization gave away a baseball trading card for an oddly shaped varmint with a weird name, the Mariners gave the 40,734 fans who showed up on Wednesday night something more to cheer about than the celebration of a famous raccoon.

There were a few things normal about the Mariners’ 4-2 victory over the Tigers....Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies had the winning run aboard.

One batter after Trea Turner’s sacrifice fly tied Wednesday’s game back up at 4-4 against the Nationals in the 10th, Bryce Harper worked a four-pitch walk. With Luis Arraez at the plate, Harper attempted to advance to scoring position for the National League batting leader.

Instead,...Read more

NEW YORK — The Cardinals left the Bronx late Wednesday night having lost plenty during their visit but finally winning something they haven’t in weeks.

In the days that followed Monday’s trade deadline sell-off of three major league players, two from the active roster, the Cardinals won a series against their hosts, the contending New ...Read more

CLEVELAND — It might have taken Jefry Yan nearly 12 years, four baseball organizations, several odd jobs and a handful of beer league innings to reach the major leagues with the Mets, but make no mistake, he was born to be a Met.

The lefty with the electric fastball and in-game dance moves that resemble the electric slide made his long-...Read more

BOSTON — The wins just keep coming.

After tying the franchise record with 15 straight wins throughout July, the Boston Red Sox are now nearly halfway to another record streak with seven straight wins. The latest was a 4-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox, which was paced by a dominant pitching performance by Sonny Gray and by Wilyer Abreu�...Read more